§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if necessary consultations with local authorities have been completed prior to his publication of a Bill to replace the Public Utilities Street Works Act; and what is his policy as to whether that replacement will contain powers for determining priorities for work on busy roads.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Government response to the Home report on the review of the Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950 accepted most of the recommendations in that report. Consultations with the local authorities under the auspices of the highway authorities and utilities committee on matters of detail are now substantially complete. Proposals for legislation are being drawn up with the benefit of advice from the street works advisory committee.
As far as work on busy roads is concerned, we have accepted the Home recommendation that highway authorities should be empowered to designate certain roads as traffic-sensitive and that undertakers proposing to carry out works that will obstruct the carriageway of such roads will have to consult the highway authority in advance. All utilities and highway authorities will also generally be required to establish procedures for co-ordinating major projects in advance.